Nebraskans Help Out Kansas Ranchers

By Gordon HopkinsJefferson County suffered less damage during the storms on December 15, 2021 than other parts of the Midwest.In rural Kansas, high winds knocked down power lines, which in turn sparked wildfires that destroyed more than 100,000 acres of land.In response to the heavy loss, a group of Jefferson County residents decided to gather donations for one especially hard hit family, Monty and Kristi Morrill of the Morrill Cattle Company, whose ranch was completely destroyed by the fires.One of the people behind the effort, Fairbury chiropractor Dr. Thayne Tatro, pointed out that donations from Kansas were sent to Nebraska after the devastating flooding in 2019, “So we thought this would be a good time to give back.”Tatro said, “I texted several people that I thought would be willing to give or had the financial means to give. And one guy talked about sending hay, so I let him run with the hay donations and he rounded up most of the hay stuff and I kind of did the cash donations, and I got some fencing supplies.”Tatro said, “Anyway, we sent four truckloads of hay and 74 large round bales. And we had a trailer of used fencing supplies and then a local farmer donated 13 spools of new barbed wire and then we have a sizable cash donation.”The cash donation was $2,500.The Morrill Cattle Company is located just south of Paradise, Kansas.The trucks carrying the donations were delivered on Tuesday, December 28.Tatro was startled by the appearance of the landscape after the fire, “I mean, it didn't look like a paradise. I know that. Everything burned up. It seemed like a moonscape. Just ash and dust and dirt.”Tatro will continue to accept donations for a while, “I had several people ask for more donations. So I've decided to extend financial donations through the month of January.”Donations can be brought to Tartro Chiropractic, 414 E Street, Fairbury.

Beverly Bartels

Eugene Henkel

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